Cocktail barCocktail bar$$old-quarterDaily 17:00-01:00
Polite & Co in Hanoi calls itself the city's oldest cocktail bar, open since 1995 on Bao Khanh with speakeasy decor and a 25-cocktail rotating menu.
Signature drink: Hanoi-inspired classics with rotating six-month menu
Food: Bar snacks
Order: The Hanoi-inspired house cocktails on the seasonal menu; happy hour 17:00-20:00 is 50% off the card.
Tip: Wooden bar, low lighting and jazz on the speakers. Cocktail menu rotates every six months.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$french-quarterDaily 17:00-00:00
Tadioto in Hanoi is artist-writer Nguyen Qui Duc's literary bar near the Opera House, open since 2007 and a fixture of the city's writer-and-painter scene.
Signature drink: Japanese whiskey and Vietnamese rice spirits
Food: Japanese-leaning snacks
Order: Japanese whiskey on the rocks or a Vietnamese rice spirit cocktail; the small plates lean Japanese.
Tip: Live readings, jazz and art shows several nights a week. The walls hold the owner's collection of Vietnamese contemporary art.
AmericanBrewery taproom$$old-quarterMon-Thu 11:00-23:00, Fri-Sun 11:00-00:00
Pasteur Street's Au Trieu taproom in Hanoi sits in an Old Quarter shophouse behind St Joseph's Cathedral, pouring Vietnamese-ingredient craft beer.
Signature drink: Jasmine IPA
Food: Pub food, pizza, snacks
Order: The Jasmine IPA or the Cyclo Imperial Chocolate Stout; full food menu including pizzas.
Tip: Three Pasteur Street taprooms in Hanoi; Au Trieu has live music weekly and is the most central.
Cocktail barBia hoi corner$old-quarterDaily 16:00-23:00
The Bia Hoi Corner in Hanoi is the pavement crossroads of Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen, where unpasteurised fresh draft pours at 10,000-15,000 VND per glass.
Signature drink: Fresh draft bia hoi at 10,000-15,000 VND per glass
Food: Grilled snacks, peanuts, dried squid
Order: A fresh bia hoi at the cheapest corner stall; dried squid with chilli salt from passing snack vendors.
Tip: Crowd starts at dusk and spills across both streets by 19:00. Cash only; cheapest beer in any Asian capital.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$old-quarterDaily 08:00-23:00
The Hanoi Social Club's evening programme on Hoi Vu turns its colonial villa into a literary-and-jazz cocktail bar with poetry readings on Wednesdays.
Signature drink: Vietnamese craft-spirit cocktails
Food: All-day brunch and dinner
Order: A Vietnamese rice-spirit cocktail and the small plates from the all-day menu.
Tip: Three floors; the rooftop is the quietest for conversation. Live music schedule on the Facebook page.
AmericanBrewery taproom$$tay-hoDaily 16:00-23:30
Furbrew's The 100 Garden in Hanoi is the Danish-founded craft brewery's flagship Tay Ho beer garden, pouring 30-plus taps including its own Vietnamese brews.
Signature drink: Vietnamese-ingredient craft beers, 30+ taps
Food: Pub snacks
Order: The Vietnamese passion fruit sour or the Pho IPA; flight paddles let you sample across the rotating list.
Tip: Two-story taproom plus a large outdoor beer garden. The smaller Furbrew Box Bar is across the lane at the same address.
